Vintages

2012 Northern Rhône Vintage

A harsh winter and a wet, mildew-prone start gave way to a warm, dry finish; Wine Spectator said the growers who fought mildew hard were rewarded.

In the Northern Rhone, a harsh winter and a rainy spring brought strong disease pressure, and a cool, wet start to the summer had vignerons desperately spraying against mildew. From early August a warm, generally dry end to the season carried the vintage. Picking began on 17 September. Many grapes ripened relatively late, and acid levels had fallen considerably by the time they were picked. Philippe Guigal put the northern crop closer to normal and called the northern whites outstanding.

Take 2012 Northern Rhône Vintage into the app. Flashcards, trivia and label lookup.

Open the app

See Northern Rhône vintage weather →

Growing season

The Northern Rhone had a particularly harsh winter. In Cornas the winter was tough and very windy, with a long period below freezing, followed by a rainy spring with very strong disease pressure and lots of early vegetative growth. A cool, wet start to the summer had vignerons desperately spraying against mildew. Wine Spectator said northern growers who worked hard against mildew were rewarded, but that after the wet spring not everyone won that fight. Things looked up from early August, and the vintage was made by a warm, generally dry end to the season. In Cornas it was dry from the beginning of July to the end of August. Picking started on 17 September in the Northern Rhone; in Cornas it ran from 17 September to 5 October in mostly dry, sunny weather. By the time many grapes were ripe enough to pick, relatively late, acid levels had fallen considerably, and acidification was by no means unknown. On volume, Philippe Guigal said the northern crop was closer to normal, while Xavier Gomart of the Cave de Tain spoke of an almost complete harvest.

Key Facts

A particularly harsh winter in the Northern Rhone was followed by a wet spring
Cornas: a long freezing, windy winter and very strong spring disease pressure
A cool, wet early summer had vignerons desperately spraying against mildew
A warm, generally dry end to the season from early August made the vintage
Northern picking started on 17 September; Cornas ran to 5 October
Guigal put northern volume closer to normal; the Cave de Tain spoke of an almost complete harvest
Jancis Robinson was underwhelmed by too many of the 42 Cote-Roties she tasted blind

Appellations

In Cote-Rotie, Jancis Robinson blind-tasted 42 different 2012s at Inter-Rhone's tasting room in Tain l'Hermitage and was underwhelmed by too many of them: too many seemed simply sweet, even overripe, and a bit dull. She suggested young vines or over-cropping might be partly to blame, and Philippe Guigal called over-cropping a particular danger in 2012. In Saint-Joseph, Chave said "2012 was great for the hillside vineyards", with a big disparity between vineyards on the coteaux and those below them. On the coteaux the July rains drained well, with no swelling of grapes or dilution. Chave called 2012 greater than 2011 in terms of pleasure, even if 2011 is more rigid and may last longer. In Condrieu, Guigal described 2012 as the year a certain rigidity expressed itself in his wine, which he called less opulent and explosive. In Cornas, Barret said the vintage seemed elegant and juicy with intense aromas.

Cote-Rotie: too many 2012s simply sweet, even overripe (Jancis Robinson)
Saint-Joseph: great for the hillside vineyards (Chave)
Condrieu: a certain rigidity in Guigal's 2012, less opulent
Cornas: elegant and juicy with intense aromas (Barret)

Ad hidden for this session.

From the WineShopAffiliate

Open one bottle, taste it for weeks.

The Coravin Pivot+ is the simpler Coravin, for wines you will finish inside a few weeks, which is how I taste a producer across vintages without finishing every bottle. It takes five seconds to use.$199.

See the Pivot+

Style and early verdicts

Inter Rhone's own report on the north said the classic varieties stayed true to their natural flavour profiles. Andre Perret, a Condrieu and Saint-Joseph producer, found Syrah showing pepper, violets and liquorice with supple tannins, and Yann Chave said 2012 promised to be even more delightful than 2011. The northern whites (Viognier, Roussanne and Marsanne) were bursting with flavour with a touch of freshness, and Guigal called them outstanding. Carole Devaux of Cave des Clairmont described a fruit-driven vintage with tannins brought about by late ripening. Jancis Robinson's verdict was "very good in parts", and her favourites, scored 18.5 or 19 out of 20, included Guigal's La Turque and La Landonne, Jamet's Cote-Rotie and Chave's Hermitage.

Syrah: pepper, violets and liquorice with supple tannins (Andre Perret)
Northern whites outstanding (Philippe Guigal)
Fruit-driven, with tannins from late ripening (Carole Devaux)
Jancis Robinson: very good in parts

Exam Study NotesWSET / CMS

2012 Northern Rhone: a harsh winter and wet spring, then a cool, wet start to summer with desperate spraying against mildew.
A warm, generally dry end to the season from early August made the vintage; grapes ripened relatively late and acid levels fell considerably.
Northern picking began on 17 September; Cornas picked from 17 September to 5 October in mostly dry, sunny weather.
Guigal put northern volume closer to normal and called the northern whites outstanding; the Cave de Tain spoke of an almost complete harvest.
Saint-Joseph: great for the hillside vineyards (Chave); Cote-Rotie: too many 2012s simply sweet, even overripe (Jancis Robinson).

Take your wine study further

Flashcards, blind tastings, and a tasting journal in the Wine with Seth app.

Try the app free